Black cardamom shows anti-lung cancer potential

The widely used spice black cardamom, known as Amomum subulatum, has the potential to fight off lung cancer, as shown in a Singapore study.

A. subulatum’s apoptosis-inducing effect has been described previously. Specifically, the fruit of black cardamom is used to formulate a cancer therapeutic by a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group from the Indian subcontinent. In Ayurvedic medicine, the spice is also indicated for multiple respiratory conditions such as cough, lung congestion, pulmonary tuberculosis, and throat diseases. [J Med Plants Stud 2017;5:219-223; Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med 2010;7:91-97; https://tinyurl.com/2gjhxj34]

Subsequently, a team of investigators from the National University of Singapore investigated the cytotoxic potential of A. subulatum on cancer cells and identify the presence of A. subulatum actives. They powdered black cardamom fruits and sequentially extracted with five types of solvents.

The various types of black cardamom extracts were then tested against cancer cells from the lung, liver, and breast. Of these three, lung cancer cells survived the least likely with the extracts and were selected as the most sensitive target. Meanwhile, the most active extract was dichloromethane. [J Ethnopharmacol 2022;287:114953]

Annexin assay results established that the cells treated with dichloromethane extract were killed by way of apoptosis. This was further supported by SubG₁ peak found in cell cycle analysis, where the measure of live cells dipped below an average of about 20 percent 48 hours after contact with the extract.

The cells that underwent apoptotic death exhibited shape distortion and shrinkage, had elevated levels of reactive oxygen species, and displayed a failure in DNA damage repair.

“The study lays the foundation for further study on whether consuming black cardamom can prevent, or help as a therapeutic for, lung cancer. Previous research papers on black cardamom’s effects on cancer were preliminary and did not link research findings with the use of black cardamom in traditional medicine,” said principal investigator Pooja Makhija, a doctoral student from the Department of Chemistry at NUS Faculty of Science, in a statement.

“There was also not enough screening done using different cancer cells to understand which cancer cells were most responsive to black cardamom extracts,” he added.

Co-principal investigator Adjunct Associate Professor Bert Grobben, from the Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Management at the NUS College Design of Engineering, cited potential applications of the black cardamom extract used in the study.

“[It] can … be used to isolate and identify more novel chemical compounds that can be effective against cancer cells. These new actives could then undergo cellular, preclinical and clinical testing for further development into drugs for treating cancer,” he said.